BL!SSS Magazine | June 2018 | #130 by Blisss Mag

CHAZ BOJORQUEZ ISSUE 130

HURLEY.COM

FILIPE TOLEDO

RV C A .C OM

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ANDY NIEBLAS regularly spends time walking up and down his surfboard out in the water. On land he walks in our new and improved double layer classic rubber sandal. We improved the quality of the closed cell sponge rubber and filled the tubular jacquard strap with recycled material creating an easier entry for your foot to go in. Once you put your foot in this sandal you’ll know why we reinvented the wheel.

Today, our goal remains the same: producing high-quality sandals that don’t end up in landfills. That commitment doesn’t end when our sandals leave the store. If your Rainbow®’s are nearing the end of their run and are past warranty, but still have some life left, please return them. We will repair and donate each pair to people who need them throughout the world.

WALKS ON WATER. W W W.R AINBOWSANDALS.C OM

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JASON REPOSAR SANDLOT THE AR T OF CHAZ BOJORQUEZ FRED POMPERMAYER HOLY BOWLY

DEATH LIGHT VERDURE AND PINK KISSED BY GOD MALIBU BOARDRIDERS

MUSIC REVIEWS

GROMS

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No. 130 Editor-in-Chief

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C O NTRIB UTING P H OTOGRAP H ERS JASON KENWORTHY, DOMINIC PETRUZZI, DANIEL RUSSO, TOBY OGDEN, TOM CAREY, BRIAN BEILMANN, JACK COLEMAN, ANDREW MAPSTONE, ADAM MORAN, DAVE NELSON, PAT EICHSTAEDT, JULIEN LECORPS, RYAN BOYES, ZACH HOOPER, TIM PEARE, MICHAEL LALLANDE, BOB PLUMB, PETER MORNING, BRYCE KANIGHTS, ARTO SARRI, ANTHONY ACOSTA, CAMERON STRAND, BRIAN FICK, DEVILLE NUNNS, GAGE THOMPSON, DEREK BAHN, TOM COZAD, BRUCE BEACH, ROBBIE CRAWFORD, RYAN DONAHUE, JOE FOSTER, SEAN SULLIVAN, STAN SIEVERS, CHRIS LOMENZO CONTRIB UTORS WILLIE MARSHALL, DANIEL RUSSO, JASON ARNOLD, GREG ESCALANTE, NATHAN SPOOR, TOM CAREY, TRAVIS MILLARD, DAVID CHOE, KAI GARCIA, MICKEY NEILSEN, PETER TOWNEND, HAMILTON ENDO, TAWNYA SCHULTZ, MIKE MURCIANO, GEOFF SHIVELY, CASEY HOLLAND, STEVE STRATTON, ROBBIE SELL, ANDREW MILLER, PAT TOWERSEY, RICHIE OLIVARES, ERIC MEYERS, KELLY SHANNON, JP OLSON, BRUCE BEACH, BONES Disclaimer: Although all best efforts are made to avoid the same, we reserve the right to publish unintentional mistakes and/or factual errors which may occur on a monthly basis. No responsibility is assumed by the publishers for unsolicited materials/articles/letters/ advertising and all submissions will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright and/or appropriate licensing purposes subject to Blisss’ right to edit and comment editorially. The views and opinions expressed in this magazine reflect the opinions of their respective authors and are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editorial team. Blisss Magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising matter which may reflect negatively on the integrity of the magazine. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form [print or electronic] without prior written consent from the publisher.

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01. CIRCLE HOOK FISH CO.

There’s another great restaurant getting set to open its doors just blocks from our office at Lido Marina Village. The mastermind behind Bear Flag and Wild Taco, Thos Carson, has teamed up with longtime friend and 4th generation Dory Fleet fisherman Scott Breneman to bring us Circle Hook Fish Co. – a fresh and healthy take on fish and chips. Set to open later this month, and with a focus on local, sustainably caught fish, we’re betting this is going to be our new hotspot. Located next to Zinqué, on the water, it’s the perfect setting for a new twist on this traditional dish. And be sure to bring the kiddos too, as there set to have a full kids menu and plenty of activities to keep everyone entertained.

02. SURFACE

It was less than six months ago that we did a photo feature on French/Tahitian photographer Ben Thouard. He’d been someone we’ve been admiring for quite some time as the picturesque backdrops of his hometown and incredible images have captured our hearts ever since we laid eyes on them. It looks like he’s going to be gaining some new fans as he’s just released his first book, SURFACE. At 184-pages and spanning ten years worth of photography, this hardcover coffee table gem is a body of work expressing his personal vision of the ocean. With over 120 jaw-dropping images, it’s a must-have for any surfer or ocean-loving enthusiast, available exclusively at www.benthouard.com.

03. STICK.E.VAPE X SUBLIME WITH ROME

Sublime With Rome and Sticke.E.Vape have joined forces and released their latest and greatest, the Sublime & Rome Orange Dynamite and the Sublime & Rome Mayday Purple disposable pens. Orange Dynamite leans more towards the sativa end of the spectrum while Mayday Purple is for those who like to spend time “In Da Couch” – indica. Available now, where finer cannabis products are sold, you won’t be disappointed.

04. COCAINE + SURFING

Chaz Smith, the author of Welcome to Paradise, Now Go To Hell, is releasing his new book this month (on sale June 12th), Cocaine + Surfing. As the title implicitly implies, Chaz explores the underbelly of the surf industry, where the outside image of clean living, bronze-backed, sun-kissed surfers overshadows the darker side of the highly paid, adrenaline seeking madmen that the industry tries to keep behind closed doors. Stories of overdoses, bar fights, surf contests, murders and cover-ups; this book has it all and gives you a glimpse of the surf industries dirtiest secrets. If it’s anything like his last, we’re sure it’ll be an entertaining read, pickup your copy where bestsellers are sold!

05. CROWN THE GLOBE

This month, celebrating their globe-spanning reach, Supra’s releasing their Crown the Globe collection, proudly displaying the colors of nine country’s corresponding flags. Whether you’re calling home the United States of America, Portugal, Mexico, France, Germany, Japan, Argentina, Chile or England, you can now display your patriotism by rocking your countries colors on your feet. Each pair also feature a “license plate” on the back heel with each countries native language name, just in case someone doesn’t recognize your home colors. Support your homeland and pick these up wherever Supra products are sold.

06. POLER X YAKIMA SKYRISE TENT

The boys at Poler have outdone themselves again with their latest collaboration with Yakima. Best known for their automotive racks systems, who better to help design a rooftop tent. Of course, you’re gonna need the Yakima racks to make this bad boy mountable, but gosh dang is this thing awesome! The camo-colored tent is light, strong, technically advanced and super easy to mount. Our favorite feature is the overhead mesh panel for ventilation and stargazing. The whole goal behind Yakima is to connect people and what better way than spending time with your loved ones atop of your vehicle on an adventure. Get yours at www.polerstuff.com and hit the road today.

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01. AGENDA LONG BEACH

By the time this ink is hitting your fingers, most of us in the industry will be in full-blown Agenda scramble mode – gearing up for the masses to descend on Long Beach. They once again extended the show and opened there doors to the public on Saturday, June 30th for a one-day event that can only be described as a curated mall of pop-up shops dropped in the middle of a music festival. Headlining the whole ordeal will be Brockhampton, but there’s also gonna be performance by Lil Yachty, Billie Eilish, Fidlar, Yung Lean, Lecrae and Dezel Curry… But the music is just the half of it, there will also be hundreds of exclusive product drops, brand activations, panel discussions, athlete and celebrity meet and greets and of course a curated food zone. It ends up being one hell of a day and shouldn’t be missed. Click your way over to www.agendashow.com and reserve your ticket today before it’s completely sold out.

02. VANS CLASSICS

Set to release this month, Vans is paying homage to two of their Classic silhouettes, the Era and Sk8-Hi models. The five-piece checkerboard collection will drop in Vans retail stores and at www.vans.com this month, so be on the lookout. The Era [our favorite] will be available in three colorways, including an ode to the original red and navy two-tone model that was first developed by Dogtown Legends Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta back in ’76. Over three decades in the making and still relevant and a must-have. Yeah, we’d consider that a “classic.”

03. CREW COFFEE + CREMERIE

Our newest neighborhood addition, the hotel Lido House, comes equipped with not only an upscale eatery [Mayor’s Table], Newport’s only rooftop bar [Topside], a fitness center and the Boost Spa, but the real gem might be their coffee/ice cream shop – Crew Coffee + Cremerier. Keeping it local, they’re getting their beans just up the road in Newport, at Common Room Roasters. The CRR boys have outdone themselves again and released a signature blend only available at Crew Coffee + Cremerier. And at only 200 steps from our office door, I’m sure we’ll be enjoying their fine cup of joe on the regular. Oh yeah, they offer house-made ice cream delights that’ll absolutely blow your mind, expect to run into us there.

04. XM X VISSLA LEASH

Vissla and XM Surf More have joined forces and released a custom “Vissla-Jade” colorway leash for all you surf afficianados out there. Part of Vissla’s Upcycle Project, the concept is simple, recycle the premium Vissla wetsuits as the inner lining of the XM Surf More premium leash straps. There are five styles available and each leash has a unique neoprene cuff, no two are the same. Just another example of how to lower our carbon footprint and keep Mother Earth as she is, for the next generation to enjoy. Available at finer retailers and www.vissla.com, get em while they’re hot.

05. RAGE RAGE RAGE

Apparently, it’s all the rage [sorry, had to] – as the usual suspects of Creed McTaggart, Noa Deane, Ellis Ericson, Beau Foster and Toby Cregan continue to grow there metal-loving empire with this surf accessory brand. Started about a year and half ago, we’ve been seeing more and more Rage on this side of the pond and thought they deserved a little love. Making only the finest hoodies, deck pads and now leashes you can order yours at www.rageragerage.com and support the only accessory brand “made with feelings.” Keep at it boys.

06. VESTAL VILLAGE BOLSA BEACHCON

For those of you who missed out on Vestal Village during Coachella, don’t fret, the inaugural Vestal Village Bolsa BeachCON is set to go down June 28th through July 1st at Bolsa Chica State Beach, Orange County. Day “0”, Thursday June 28th, is an invite-only, experimental expo event for retailers, brands, influencers and select guests to get a preview of what’s to come for the open-to-the-public main event held throughout the rest of the weekend. Vestal Village BeachCON is an exclusively-curated, live music festival celebrating Southern California Beach Culture. The lineup and activities have been held in secrecy but Johnny Gehris and the rest of the Vestal team assure us it’s going to be a great time. Anyone who’s experienced Vestal Village in the desert knows what to expect. Book your tickets and/ or camping/glamping packages at www.vestalvillage.com.

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W W W. I N D O S O L E . C O M | @ I N D O S O L E | # S O L E S W I T H S O U L

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VANS:

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RAINBOW:

Mizu Cuttlery // $14.95

COMMON ROOM ROASTERS:

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2018 Blackout // $664.95

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STICK.E.VAPE:

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ENJOY THE JOURNEY. LEAVE NOTHING BEHIND.

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MOMO:

BLISSS MAGAZINE // ISSUE NO. 130 INTERVIEW //MICHAEL & MARIA MCKIVERGAN

**Michael and Maria McKivergan are art collectors living in Arizona. They recently hosted MOMO and his team for a special project and had these questions for an interview.** Your style has evolved throughout your career, but your interest in color has remained constant, where does your interest in color come from? And where do you get inspiration/direction? I think I’ve always had an affinity for color even before I had any idea of it for art making. Actually, it may be tied to my “Seasonal Affected Disorder.” Somewhere in my mid 20’s I realized I was one of these people affected by a lack of natural light in winter. I slow down, get confused, depressed. But in the opposite way, I have the best associations with full spectrum saturated light. Color connects with the best memories, very clear thinking and vivid sensuality, enjoyment and discovery. The other thing I always mention is inspiration from Jamaica, living and working there over a period of eight years. Their vernacular sense of color is very strong and I became certain that places like New York were missing out. What is your favorite color? I don’t have. I go through interests in palettes though. Here’s a story. Last year I sent Nic in my studio a photo of an Olafur Eliasson Instagram post to make a palette from. Olafur had used dichroic glass to form colorful shadows, all arranging themselves according to additive color theory. It was beautiful and contained some logic. I wanted to try them as paint. So Nic created a new palette in a special book where we keep paint recipes to use in the studio. We called the palette “Olaf.” Then, I took Olaf on the road to do a few murals, and came back a year later to discover the two palettes were no longer matching! I had been fine tuning it while using house paint equivalents for walls, and then updating the records. So now we’re painting in the studio with these evolved colors. But I’m still interested in the original logic, so I’ve ordered my own dichroic glass to play around. Tools have been a big part of your work; can you describe the influence tools have had on your work and the evolution of tools in your work? What tools are you experimenting with now? That’s the best part really. I argue there’s no difference between making the work, and making the tools to make the work. It’s the same desire to reveal new things. Like building a telescope to see the heavens. Of course we didn’t make the stars that are revealed, but if it’s good artwork the same can seem true, results are larger than ourselves, we’re glad to witness and discover them. That’s it really. I feel good investigating things. Sometimes I’m aware also that the tools can be a foil, like a plot where “boy looks for stolen bike and discovers himself.” What we’re searching for is there the whole time. Art can be weird like that, where science I guess is not. But I prefer the science way into it. Then at least I have tangible findings, while the poetry operates unbothered on other levels. For instance, I’ve been interested in Practical Geometry for five years. It’s a lost group of skills, it’s medieval, blue collar, it’s magic tricks and math, all tangible, it works. But the poetry would be visually conveying these ancient ideas to a child. Counteracting architecture with it’s own language. Pointing to something unexpected, being nerdy in a graffiti context, or elements of nature in an urban context. The homemade tools in this case reveal math (often called proofs) but along the way other things happen. Upcoming tools will be: The dichroic glass I mentioned, plus a weird effect that I discovered between a polarized lens, LCD monitor, and packing tape. I’m also exploring a funny action inside Illustrator called “offset.” When offset lines are output to my plotter and drawn twice they make fascinating moire’s patterns. You’re well known for your murals. A lot of art today, especially murals, is seen on small screens. When you’re making a mural do you consider the prospective from both? Which is more important to you? People are painting full size buildings to fit into your phone. It’s weirdly true. David Byrne has that interesting talk about how architecture helped music evolve; I guess it’s the same. It will also last longer on our phones. Weird story: the mural I’m most famous for I didn’t paint at all. Someone did a mediocre job with the Photoshop stamp tool, warping a mural I’d made into pure gradient. They credited me, and now it’s definitely my most popular. It gets reposted every few months for four years now with comments from people hoping to find it.

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The answer is, I think, a lot about both. My photo is important, but also other people’s photos should be important. It’s interesting that artists can see through their viewer’s eyes now, with so many tagged images. So I try to be a good listener in the artist/viewer convo. But pandering for the photo seems depressing. Real viewing should exceed the photo or it’s disappointing. How do your public works influence your gallery works? Is it different working on a project that will be seen by everyone compared to a work that may end up in a private collection? Too much to name here. I’m going to spend the rest of 2018 concentrated on gallery work, so I can understand it better. I feel at ease on murals, like I own something to stand on, but the gallery world belongs more to history. Or with walls I have a defensive way-out, it’s temporary, free to look at. People often say, “Well [the wall] looks better than it was.” Like telling a musician, “Your music is better than the construction noise and traffic.” Lately mural projects have become big enough to involve boring practical matters. So being in the studio felt refreshing, even rebellious, doing whatever I want, zero permission, zero COI’s, no PO’s, GC’s, Hold Harmless contracts, or concerns from someone in the office about the green you said you wouldn’t use, but did anyway. Your work ethic is incredible to witness firsthand, what helps keep you focused and disciplined? Coffee. What do you like to do in between projects? I don’t really do anything else. I’m always reading and listening to audio books while working. I’ve been going surfing when it’s possible these past few years. I leave in one week to surf for three months in Central America. But the idea is to develop new compositions as well. You’ve chosen New Orleans as the place for your studio, what is it about the city that feels inspiring to you? Also, too much to mention, ha. You saw some of it. People enjoy life here and there’s less soul crushing capital like you find gobbling-up so many other special areas of America. It’s very messy and very warm. My wife and I admire your work a great deal, who is an artist whose work you admire and why? I’ve been a long-time David Hockney fan for his joie vivre and limitless wonder that runs freely into scientific investigation. He’s always been open to the sensuality of observation, and it seems to feed his brain. There’s no division there, mind and body, beauty and brains, nerds in paradise.

JAN KALAB:

BLISSS MAGAZINE // ISSUE NO. 130 INTERVIEW // LIZ RICE MCCRAY

When Jan Kaláb was born in 1978 in Czechoslovakia, graffiti was not to be seen in the Eastern World. In the nineties, as the country was opening itself to western influences, he became one of the pioneers of the local scene, and founded an iconic crew, the DSK. Sleepless nights around train yards, light tubes at police stations, and above all, hard work on his style: he went through all the classical steps of a writer’s career. Through Europe, he made a name for himself as Cakes. Next step to the hall of fame, New York, where he made a big impression by painting entire cars in 2000, alongside with Key and Rome. Around the same time, he found a new way to push his own limits and challenge himself: 3-D Graffiti. Under the name of “Point,” he sculpted huge abstracts letters he chose to put in the streets and on the walls. The higher the better. This was another form of graffiti, in daylight, and without a spray, but truthful to the spirit of competition and innovation of the urban scene. Those sculptures lead him to abstraction, a path he’s been exploring through canvas from 2007, using acrylic painting and brushes. In the meantime, this admirer of Kupka graduated from the Academy of fine Arts of Prague – becoming the first Czech writer to do so. Jan Kaláb had his first solo exhibition in 2008 in Prague. Others solos took place in Romania, Argentina, Germania or in the United States. With time, his forms became more and more geometric. He used colorful squares and circles as an obsessive vocabulary for infinite variations around depth, time, and motion. Playing with circles conveyed organic imperfection and swing into his work. Dynamic is also crucial in his recent experiments, when he took pictures of some of his paintings in the streets of New York or other cities. The project became a social one when he realized he needed help from strangers to carry the canvas. This is no surprise, since collective energy is crucial in his creative process. You are currently in San Francisco for your solo exhibition Perspective of Clouds at the Mirus Gallery (www.mirusgallery.com) May 18th to June 9th, will you tell us about the body of work in the show and the emotions you are feeling right now? I’m super excited about having my first solo show in California. I’m showing a new series of paintings and one sculpture. I call these paintings “Clouds” because of their shape. I play around with color gradients, which represents the sky. I would describe them as sky landscapes. Each has number, which is a certain time of the moment on my imaginary sky. I’m curious where are you at this very moment while I’m interviewing you? Will you describe where you are right now, this way everyone reading along can imagine the setting. I’m sitting in the apartment of the gallery in Lower Haight Street where I have stayed the whole time over here. Sipping green tea. All the bags are packed, because I’m leaving back to Prague today. What mediums do you work in, will you explain to us your creative process and the collective aspect of your work? I work with acrylic paint on my paintings. These pieces are sprayed with spray gun airbrush. The special thing is the custom shape canvases that we build in my studio and it is very important part of the piece itself. All are painted in my Prague studio.

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The sculpture is made out of fiberglass/resin. I have a project with my paintings which I call Art in Public. I take my paintings to the streets and ask passing by strangers to hold the paintings for me in perspective of the street. I photograph the situation. It is funny to meet all kinds of people and get to know the city from a different perspective. I began to photograph my paintings in streets of Manhattan three years ago. This year I did it in SF and LA. You travel back to Prague Today. Do you have any upcoming projects you can share with us? When will you be back in the United States? My next solo show is in US again. It will take place in Polasek museum in Orlando. There is a gallery and nice gardens where I would like to exhibit some more sculptures. The opening is on August 28. Than I have another show in Hong Kong in September, and than another one in Prague in November. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions. We love your work. Have a wonderful opening. Dear reader, to see more of Jan Kaláb art go to www.jankalab.com and if you happen to be in S.F. check out his show.

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MATT STORY:

INTERVIEW // DAVIDE DE PROSSIMO WITH ROME WRITECA

Matt Story has worked for over twenty years from his studio in Los Angeles but in 2013 began traveling with his wife, and painting for extended periods in locations as diverse as Charleston, Santa Fe and New Orleans. He works from his studio in New York City now, often twelve or more hours a day and six or seven days a week. His method of oil painting on canvas and panel closely resembles the classical method, used for centuries by masters such as Titian and Caravaggio, two of Story’s heroes, fastidiously building up thin glazes, painting “fat over lean” with traditional materials. His work is included in private and corporate collections in the United States, Europe and Asia. To see more of Matt Story art go www. mattstory.com. Matt, where do you find inspiration? My inspiration has always been the Great Masters. I wanted my life to be related to that historical discourse of painting in some way and to further it in my own life. I remember standing at the Getty in front of one of Titian’s Penitent Magdalene’s, as a boy, and thinking nothing could be more worthy of a life than to learn to create even one thing as beautiful and moving as this. To strive to emulate the tremendous skill and virtuosity of past painters is hugely inspiring. On a more specific level, I’m inspired by classical forms and putting them in modern settings, to depict extreme lighting conditions that are new to painting, and in some way to blur the line between photorealism and impressionism. In regards to your outstanding underwater paintings – Why water? Does water have a specific meaning to you? How did that idea come up? Water is an amazing metaphor for the deeper self. When I paint a woman suspended under water, I see her as gliding through her own self-awareness. Her movement is a journey through her own life, her self. Many of my images depict the body of water fading off behind and below the figure into a gradating darkness, into “the abyss.” Surely the depth or bottom of it is death. But she floats always peacefully toward the surface, toward the light and the air—not unaware of, or ignoring the dark, but enjoying the buoyancy of her life despite it. Each “diving down” is a foray into the deeper self, with its risks and fears, and each emergence is a re-birth, a cleansing, a baptism. But water also has a fun playful side. We all share those memories of fun and relaxing summers at beaches and pools, immersed in joy. Our first sensations occurred to us while floating in a warm, nurturing maternal pool too, so the similes are complex.

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And on a technical level, painting underwater scenes is a perfect setting for painting the classical, female form. As you know, the female nude a fundamental subject of figurative art and goes back at least as far as the “German Venus” of 35,000 years ago. And of course, censorship of the nude probably began the day after that! The Council at Trent didn’t even wait for Michelangelo’s death before having Venusti begin painting over the genitals on The Last Judgement figures. (Of course, he did it only under the threat that the frescoes would be destroyed otherwise). And as a young artist in the U.S., I quickly learned that my nude studies would never be casually exhibited in such a fundamentalist and stultified place. So, I pondered, how can I paint the figurative nude in a less-charged but natural setting? Viola! The scantily clad swimmer. Is it new? Yes! I can paint figures in exaggerated poses never painted before, because the postures would be so unnatural out of water (and my forebearers had none of my advantages of seeing underwater). My models take on a beautiful and unexpected fluidity when floating weightlessly. Also, the lighting underwater is spectacular, chards of refractions, color distortions and prismatic effects. I’ve always been drawn to this “extreme lighting,” even in my cityscapes depicted at night in the rain, or landscapes in the snow near dark. Of course, extreme lighting was the coinage of Rembrandt and Caravaggio, though in more somber, almost dichromatic palettes. And they probably used mirrors to concentrate the sunlight and create extreme effects. Finally, I love painting images that seem at once abstract and photorealistic. I get this in the underwater environment, the distortions, the prismatic colors and strange depths of field. As Lucien Freud said, “The longer you look at an object, the more abstract it becomes, and ironically, the more real.”

BLISSS MAGAZINE // ISSUE NO. 130

SUPER GOES TO WACO:

WORDS // JUSTIN COTE

PHOTOS // BRYCE FREES

10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE WACO WAVE POOL

Wave pools are taking over the surf world! Well, maybe not, but it sure seems that way with the current arms race happening from Lemoore to Texas and down to Australia. Not wanting to miss the pool party, Superbrand hitched our wagon to the new wave pool at the BSR Cable Park in Waco, Texas and got in on the inland action. It was odd packing for a surf trip to Texas, and more than a few times we got the “You boy’s ain’t from around these parts, are ya?” comment. It was probably the boardbags strapped to the roof that threw ‘em off. Anyway, there have been a lot of questions about the new wave pool so we thought we’d try to give you some insight. 1. It’s hot! When we were there it was 96-degrees in the shade and humid. The water isn’t much cooler—use tropical wax and bring a little chunk of it into the pool with you so you can re-apply in between waves. Front and back traction would be a good call, too. 2. It’s shallow! At the end of the wave there’s only a few feet of water separating you and the textured concrete bottom. Put your hands in front of you when you fall and be ready for a little road rash… scrub it kook! Bring a little ding repair kit too—your boards are gonna be bonking into bodies and concrete and the nearest ding repair place is over 300 miles away. 3. Takeoffs are tricky. Because the waves pop up out of nowhere and are pretty steep. But once you figure out the number system on the wall you sit next to, it gets easier. Still, paddle your ass off when it’s your turn or you’re headed to the back of the line. 4. Ride your best shortboard. The wave has plenty of push and is fairly hollow, so you don’t need a fish or a fun shape. Anything too wide or lacking rocker and you’ll be eating concrete before you know it. Epoxy is the preferred construction but normal PU boards will do just fine. There are demo boards there too, if you want to leave your at home. Last we heard they rent those for $30 per session. 5. You’ll surf better in the ocean after a few surfs in the pool. Call it muscle memory or a bunch of reps, but whatever it is, after you surf the wavepool you’ll be ripping the real deal like nobodies business. You saw Albee Layer’s post Waco air, right? 6. The beach is legit! With a white sandy beach, lounge chairs, trees, music and a BYOB policy, we rocked up with a cooler full of CL smoothes, water, sunscreen and cameras ready to party. The only thing lacking were bikinis… we won’t make that mistake again! 7. It’s more like a skate bowl session rather than a surf session. With the right crew in the water, everyone gets the same number of waves and opportunities to do something rad. And while you’re waiting in the “channel,” you can heckle (err, encourage) your friends from mere feet away. 8. The public sessions are a blast! It’s $60 an hour per head and a set of three waves comes in every minute and a half. According to our lousy math that’s over 100 waves an hour. With nine surfers in the water and everybody taking turns you’ll get plenty of waves! 9. The water is green... but clean! BSR Cable Park sits on a natural spring that feeds the wave pool with as much water as it needs. A green dye is added to the wave pool for some reason (maybe in lieu of chemicals?) and it looks a little weird, but it doesn’t smell or taste funny. 10. Check your ego at the door and go have some good ol’ fashioned redneck fun in Waco, Texas. Aside from surfing incredibly fun waves, you’ll sample Texas sized plates of BBQ meat, rip around the cable park (on a wake board or surfboard - they don’t care), suck down a few cold ones in the “world’s longest lazy river,” or flip out on the massive waterslides called the Royal Flush. A two-hour drive from Dallas or Austin, BSR Cable Park would be a great spot for boy’s weekend or bachelor party, there are very few rules and getting loose is encouraged. Get more info at bsrcablepark.com. photos (top): brett barley, (bottom - left to right): gavin frank, justin cote, tyler morris

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BLISSS MAGAZINE // ISSUE NO. 130

PEDRO BONNIN:

INTERVIEW // LIZ RICE MCCRAY

Pedro Bonnin creates hyper-realistic figurative paintings on canvas that intertwine vibrant color and negative space to create a high sense of drama and allure. We were excited to have a chance to ask Pedro some questions about his art and learn a little about Pulque, a traditional Mexican drink. Many thanks to Pedro Bonnin for taking the time answer our questions. To see more of Pedro’s work, visit www.pedrobonnin.com. I’m always curious where people are at the present time that we interview them; will you describe where you are right now? This way everyone reading along can imagine the setting. I’m in Cuernavaca, my hometown, at Pulquería “La Guayaba,” a colorful Pulque and Mezcal bar owned by my friend Francesco and his brother Aldo. Pulque is a traditional Mexican drink that native cultures drank way before Columbus arrived to America. It is made by fermenting sap from the maguey plant. It can also be mixed with fruit such as zapote, guanábana, melón, guayaba and many more to obtain what’s known as a “curado.” I’m sitting by myself, I’m supposed to meet a dancer from a local contemporary dance company to see if I can convince her to help me with some photographs I need for a new project I have in mind. While I wait I’m having a beer, as tempting as it sounds, having any other thing may seriously impair my ability to give proper answers to this interview. What is the process you use to conceptualize a piece, refine it, “test it,” etcetera, so you do not get part way through and discover, “this is not working”? I’ve always been an unredeemed daydreamer. I’m also a big reader and I spend a lot of time watching movies, art books and magazines, so images come easily to me. When I’m about to start a new series of paintings I try to picture people in action: flying, falling, jumping, running or fighting. I then do sketches of this image and twist them a little for dramatic effect. I ask friends or family to pose for me, the sketches provide a starting point for the first photographs but then I give them small directions and ask them to move freely to make a little space for surprise and the unexpected. I try to make as many photos as I can. Later, working on the computer, I select the most promising pictures and I filter and tweak them until I get something interesting. I may combine two or three photographs to form a single image. By the time I get to the painting part I’ve already spent a lot of time with the final images so I know which ones are going to work on a canvas and which ones are not. If in the middle of the process the picture is not working, it’s usually because a problem of execution and not so much a problem of composition (although I’ve had those too) and then I just have to work harder to get it right. Your paintings are pretty insane, they could almost be mistaken as digital, will you tell us a little about your background? How did you get into realism? I started painting when I was very young. The first paintings I made that galleries took in and sold were very literary paintings. At the time I was reading lots of Borges, Kafka, Calvino, Allan Poe, Cortazar… These paintings were something like illustrations for mysterious stories or strange fables that people had to figure out. They had little characters in them and the style was somehow a little naive, I’ve been to Europe and was very influenced by the early Italian masters: Giotto, Simone Martini, Cimabue, Lorenzetti, Duccio di Buoninsegna. After a while I got tired of telling stories through painting and the psychological side of it started to weigh heavy on me. I went to college, studied philosophy and got a master’s degree. I was teaching, went through the whole history of art, went back to Europe and was now interested in very different painters: Velazquez, Caravaggio, Ingres, Rembrandt,

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Titian, Rubens, David. I wanted to make paintings that relied more on pictorial values like color or form than in narratives. Instead of looking to my inner imaginative world I wanted to pay attention to the outside world around me. I wanted to make striking paintings, paintings that captured people’s attention right from the beginning, like a KO instead of having the judges decide. This is where fashion photography comes in, I took from it its allure but more important its sense of the immediate and that certain urgency that comes from having very little time to cause an impression. My plan was to keep discourse to a minimum, to simplify the storytelling and to put tension, drama, and frozen-action in its place (I know this is an oxymoron but that’s precisely where the tension comes from). In order to get away with this I realized I needed to make my images as realistic as possible. Is there an element of self-portraiture in your work? Naturally, a painting can tell a lot about the artist behind it. More so in modern and contemporary art where finding one’s own voice or style, that is being original, becomes a mandate and an obsession for many artists. Besides that, in a strict sense, I wouldn’t say there’s an element of self-portraiture in my work. I like looking at other people more than I like looking at myself. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as an artist? I’ll say the biggest challenge I face as an artist is knowing when to stop what I’ve been doing and move on to something new. Stepping out of the comfort zone and moving into new territory can be terrifying and for a while even paralyzing, but it’s also very exciting and in the end it’s what keeps me alive. Where can people check out more of your art? There’s my website, www.pedrobonnin.com and the galleries that currently represent me: JoAnne Artman Gallery (www.joanneartmangallery.com) and Madison Gallery (www. madisongalleries.com). Any last words for our readers? The headmaster of a Zen monastery wanted to retire so he gathered all the monks in the meditation hall and then placed a glass of water in the center of the room. He then said, “Whoever tells me what this is without calling it by its name would become my successor.” The first to answer was a young and ambitious monk, he said, “I wouldn’t say this is a wooden shoe.” The rest of the monks gave similar answers. Finally, the monk in charge of the kitchen stood up, walked to the glass of water and without saying a word, tipped it over with his foot spilling the water on the floor. The headmaster smiled and named him his successor. Thank you. Thank you so much Pedro.

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BLISSS MAGAZINE // ISSUE NO. 130 photography / dominic petruzzi / @dominicpetruzzi model / sierra paxton / @sierra.paxton

SUPER TASTE:

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BLISSS MAGAZINE // ISSUE NO. 130 // FOUNDERS’ CUP

world team wins first founders’ cup. words // PT, a founder Over a couple of days in Central California, 100 miles from the beach, twenty-five of the world’s best surfers were ripping perfect three to five-foot waves at the Kelly Slater Surf Ranch. You couldn’t get a hotel room within a thirty mile circumference of a small country town called Lemoore. Which, besides a bunch of produce farms, the biggest thing going on is the Tachi Palace Casino, which was packed to the gills with the surfers, their entourages and surf fans mingling with the Lemoore locals, celebrating Cinco De Mayo. The Surf Ranch had the festival atmosphere - bleachers around the pool, VIP cabanas, life-size painted cutouts of the seven Founders’ to greet the fans coming through the general admission gates, a music stage with bands and Perry Farrell on the turn-tables and all sorts of important peeps scattered around the venue. Welcome to SurfChella. Kelly’s wave challenged the best, its perfect peeling predictability was the undoing of many, but if you’re Filipe Toledo you figure it out, as he went J-Bay on Lemoore with two rotations to post the only perfect ten of the weekend. Through the forty plus years of pro surfing as we know it, there’s been some seismic shifts - the founding of the IPS in Hawaii mid-way ’76 bringing together the events of the “Gypsy Tour” of the early Seventies into and annual ranking and World Pro Championship, the ASP take-over in ’83 out of HB, Rabbit and Peter Wilkerson’s implementation of the “Dream Tour,” putting events at places like Garajagan and finally Dirk Ziff’s arrival and funding of the WSL to put the sport into the digital world as the webcasts have become as good as any in any sport. The wavepool phenomena arrival is definitely another, and the fact that 5,000 paying customers had driven out into California farmland proves it, and from the opening of the gates until the last wave ridden, nobody left the pool. If you’re into golf or tennis you’ve heard of the Ryder Cup or Davis Cup. Well, the Founders’ Cup is surfings’ version. In this case it’s five teams of five (three men and two women) from the WSL rankings making up: Team USA, Team Australia, Team Brazil, Team Europe and Team World. The Aussies had the best rail game going but no game above the lip, the Brazilian Storm were storming as usual and Silvana Lima layed down one of the best rides of the final day but the surfing of Jordy Smith and Kanoa Igarashi on the Sunday put the World in the position to win. Of course, just like a Hollywood movie script, the last wave of the event came down to Kelly Slater with one ride, needing a nine point one something to lead Team USA to victory over the Jordy Smith led Team World. But this Hollywood dream-script was not to be, as he ripped the bags out his tailor made left with a fumble on the end section to post a low nine, and the World was their’s. They’ll all be back there early September for a CT stop where valuable World Championships points will be on the line. I’m sure Kelly’s phone will be ringing between now then for some practice sessions and I guarantee that hotel rooms in the vicinity will be at premium once again as I’ll bet the scheduled four days will be sold out with surf fans. You can’t beat the “live” experience as every four minutes you get to see one of the world’s best ripping on a perfect four to five-foot right or left. photos // stan sievers & wsl

this page (top to bottom): jordy smith / stephanie gilmore / the world team / kanoa Igarashi / kelly slater opposite page (left to right): joel parkinson / john john & kelly / kolohe andino / mick fanning / john john florence / filipe toledo / matt wilkinson / the scoreboard / gabriel medina / the infamous tractor / jeremy flores / the founders / lakey peterson

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BLISSS MAGAZINE // ISSUE NO. 130 // BTS

the definitive showcase of graffiti, street art and beyond.

words // jp olson

The urban anthropologist is at it again; Roger Gastman’s “Beyond the Streets” is currently open in Chinatown. The sample features over 100 artists whose contributions evolved art outside of the galleries and museums. The beauty of this show is not only the eclectic assembly of such a profound body of work, but the fact that it has been made accessible to families and kids who may not traverse the endemic vicinities wherein these artists typically create. For the opening, Adidas skateboarding recreated Venice’s long-lost pavilion, an iconic mecca for skate and street art culture. Another noteworthy aspect of Beyond the Streets is all the art came from Gastman’s personal collection or from the artists themselves, rather than private collectors. We won’t give away too much for those who plan to visit the 40,000 square-foot exhibition, general admissions is $25 and we recommend you go online to reserve a time because it is selling out. Rumor has it that Beyond the Streets will move to New York next. P.S., if you get up there definitely fit Philippe’s Original for the French dip, it’s down the street about a half mile on North Alameda.

photos // jp olson & beau roulette

this page (top to bottom): shepard fairey / roger gastman, jefferey deitch & craig stecyk / revok / barry mcgee / craig stecyk opposite page (left to right): pose / chaz bojorquez / eric haze / estevan oriol / paul insect / dabsmyla / maribol / rime / banksy / david chino villorente / timothy curtis / maya hayuk / retna

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Where were you born and where do you currently reside? I was born in Liverpool, England. I moved to USA with my family in my teens and now reside in Bali, Indonesia. Tell us about how you first became interested in photography? I got into surf photography through doing freelance graphic design. I had a job designing an ad for Proctor Surfboards and the photo I was given to use for the ad was out of focus so I asked Todd (Proctor) to rent me some camera gear and buy some film so I could get a better image for the ad. I ended up taking Jay Rice down to DMJ’s in San Diego to go shoot and it just so happened that Taylor Knox, Dino Andino, Donovan Frankenrieter and Pat O’Connell were surfing the same spot. I ended up with a batch of images of all those guys that looked really good to me. A few days later I hit the offices of Surfer, Surfing and Transworld Surf, showing them all my photos. At Transworld Surf, the photo editor, Steve Sherman gave me a deal with free film and developing in exchange for first right of refusal for any surf images I shot from that moment forward. When did you realize photography was going to be your career? I suppose I realized I was going to be a photographer that same day I shot my first ever photos. It was love at first sight kind of thing. I’d been surfing since the age of 14 and would spend thousands of hours studying surf magazines. So at that moment I think it was like everything just revealed itself to me - that this is what I’m here to do. I would be a surf photographer. From that day forward I just became totally obsessed with surf photography. I never looked back and it seemed like everything came really easily.

previous spread: josh homme, (inset) josh kerr. this page: (top) jay davies, (middle) sometimes swim anna maria sommer, miss indonesia whulandary herman, (bottom) ellis ericson. opposite page: (left to right) john john florence, jay adams, koby abberton, andy irons, betet merta.

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You were one of the first photographers to go away from conventional surf photography. Was that intentional or was it just your natural way of shooting? I got to a point in my life where I just couldn’t really keep up with my bills with the income I was making as a surf photographer so I started shooting fashion to make up the difference. I found that there was a lot more money shooting for fashion brands and young designers. The more work I was getting doing those jobs, the more work I was being asked to do. So my ties to shooting surf sort of faded out. In order to stay prolific in surf photography you have to really work hard at it and stay busy traveling. So my career as a surf photographer sort of came to an end. I still shoot surf here and there because I just love doing it but these days I’ll find myself surfing rather than shooting, unless the waves are massive and I have some guys to shoot with.

How has your career shifted in the past ten years? My career has almost completely shifted into fashion and portrait work these last ten years. I’ve been residing in Bali and mostly working with young designers and bikinis brands over here. I do editorial work for a few Asian fashion magazines and worldwide editorial portrait assignments for international magazines. I also get overseas and shoot some rock and roll bands, which I really love doing. I also opened a studio in Bali and a production company, which is really successful, so I’m a lot more comfortable financially these days. Lately I’ve been getting back into shooting surf a bit more than I have in a long time. Maybe I’ll figure out how to get back in the mix with surf photography again, let’s see. Who or what inspires you on a daily basis, and has that changed since you were first starting out? I get really inspired by the young up-and-coming photographers these days. There seems to be so many new names out there who are making some really interesting images. I follow a lot of them on Instagram and every now and again one of them will just blow my mind with something they do with lighting, editing or compositions. When I began shooting I would study the old masters like Helmut Newton, Ellen Von Unwerth or Peter Lindberg. I still love and admire these photographers, and many more actually, but I find inspiration in the new up-and-comers because the game is changing constantly and these kids are the ones changing the game. I want to keep growing as a photographer myself, without copying or trying to be someone I’m not. I think being current on trends then seeing how I can grow my own style in trend is how I can remain relevant in the current marketplace here.

What’s a hobby you’re really interested in right now? I don’t really have any hobbies unless surfing could be called that. But after 34 years surfing it’d be hard for me to call that a hobby. Maybe droning is my current hobby because I suck at it but I’m doing it all the time to try to figure it out without crashing it and losing the thing in the water. So far I’ve made zero amazing images with it that I’m stoked on and crashed it trying to shoot video three times so far. Luckily on land and not in the water, so i still have it working for me. What are your thoughts on the state of the surf industry right now and where it sits in the broader fashion industry? The surf industry as I knew it ten years ago seems to have completely changed with the new digital age. The magazine I worked for,Transworld Surf, throughout my career is now gone along with a lot of other surf publications. This makes me sad. I still prefer to sit down and look through pages rather than looking at my phone or computer. It’s just not the same but I understand that it’s just not financially viable for these publications to survive. Everything now moves so fast. There is a big swell somewhere and that afternoon the world is looking at video and photos of what happened that day. It’s a great thing but since I haven’t been focusing my attention on how to keep up with this change I really don’t understand how these guys are making money traveling all over to document the swells as they happen anymore. Other than working for Red Bull and getting a salary I’d have no idea how to make money doing this anymore. It seems like everything is about Instagram and likes and followers. It seems like surf fashion isn’t what it was either. I don’t really see the fashion of surf being any different than it was ten years ago. Still the same logo tee shirts, the same shorts and and khaki pants. The board shorts are a bit better but what has changed or innovated in ten years? Not much from where I sit. The bikini brands have evolved a bit. I really love how they are being marketed visually and these are the photographers I’m getting inspiration from. The rest of the surf industry? I’m really just looking at clips and photos of surfers blowing my mind doing amazing things. The fashion of surf is kinda boring in my opinion. If you could visit one place you’ve never been before where would you go and why? I’ve never been to Tavarua and it’s one of those places I’d look at in high school and dream of going to. Most of the other places I’ve been to but not there. It’s still on my list of places to go to.

What projects are you working on at the moment? Right now I’m working on a new photo studio in Bali. Im building a bigger modern space and incorporating production business offices, a restaurant and a boutique hotel into the design. I want to have a creative space to host traveling artists and content creators and venture into events and a bigger reach for my production services business. What makes you happiest in life? My family and friends make up my entire world. Without them there is nothing for me. I’m truly blessed to have really amazing people in my life. Do you have an end goal of retiring or do you want to continue to work for as long as you can? I absolutely love what I do. I’ll be shooting photos until the day that I die. I have no end goal. I’ll leave that up to the big man upstairs. ISSUE 130

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photos: michael custodio

Tucked away in the hills of San Clemente, there is a special place where skaters congregate at 7:30 PM on the dot daily. This place doesn’t have clocks like Las Vegas, and it’s all for good measure. The goal is simple – to skate, have a good time and lose track of all the worries and stresses that each person holds. The energy is contagious, the place is usually swept or mopped before the session, and the grip as you transfer from concrete to wood doesn’t go unnoticed. On any given night you can hear Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper” christening the session and The O’Jays to round things out. The average passerby would question what the heck is going on in this building. From the cases of Redbull to the empty boxes of pizza, you’d think a party was happening each night. Instead, you will find a diverse group of skaters and creatives that simply gather out of passion and the equal love for skateboarding.

opposite page: BS wallride - shane sheckler. left: ryan sheckler and tony panici, above: ryan - fakie front crook.

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“The Sandlot inspires me. Walking through those doors leaving all real life problems outside in the cold on those brisk winter nights in playa El San Clemente. I get slight anxiety but just enough to hop on my board and immediately want to push myself to be better than I was. My brain starts going through the rolodex on what I can do that I have never done before. I usually show up without skating for a long time in between. I think I should stretch but I can’t because I’m too excited and I have all this energy in me that needs to be let out – so I go. I push weird, I slam ungracefully but sometimes I land some things that have been on my mind, so that’s nice. Some battles are unfinished but that’s only because I can’t feel my legs, so that’s when I go home because it’s way past my bedtime. Speaking of which, let’s go there tonight when we get off work! I got some things on my mind, ha!” – Tyler Hendley “The Sandlot is a place of freedom for me! It’s a safe place to get gnarly.” – Ryan Sheckler “It’s the best place to just chill with the homies and clear my head of all the everyday stress I have to deal with.” – Brandon Turner “Home away from home. Where nothing else matters but a fun session with the homies.” – Chris Wilks

this page: ryan sheckler - FS noseslide, as brandon turner watches closely. opposite page (left to right): ryan - switch crook, chris joslin - indy, young chris joslin and kane sheckler, kane sheckler - kickflip crook, shane sheckler - melon, tyler hendley - BS smith

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INTERVIEW: LIZ RICE MCCRAY We welcome the living legend, the pioneering “Godfather” of modern Los Angeles “cholo-style” graffiti, Charles “Chaz” Bojórquez to this months’ cover. Bojórquez has been speaking the visual language and artistry of Chicano graffiti since 1969 and is acknowledged for taking his art form from the streets and transitioning it into the established art world. Thus succeeding in creating art that is both influential and impactful on multiple social levels, while forever staying true to his graffiti roots. Bojórquez was born in 1949 in East Los Angeles where he grew up and started writing, developing and cultivating the aesthetics of his distinctive graffiti style and signature lettering. In the ‘60’s, Bojórquez started preferring the use of brushes and paint and markers over spray paint. In 1969 Bojórquez created his most famed tag, Señor Suerte, inspired by Mexican folklore, an extremely iconic and important image of the Chicano urban art movement. Bojórquez attended Chouinard Art School (known today as Cal Arts) where he studied figure painting and ceramics and independently studied Asian calligraphy from Master Yun Chung Chiang (Master Chiang studied under Pu Ju, brother of the last Emperor of China). This is where he credits learning the fundamentals of what art is – “a foundation structuring ideas within your mind.” Bojórquez worked as a commercial artist in advertising and film, including logos for movies The Warriors and Turk 182 and master inking for The Empire Strikes Back, the Muppet movies, and James Bond. Chaz Bojórquez paintings are in numerous permanent museum collections including, The Smithsonian Institute, National Museum of American Art, LACMA, MOCA, National Hispanic Cultural Center and Laguna Art Museum. We’re honored to receive some images of a few of Chaz’s plein air drawings, never previously released for public viewing. He usually reserves these pieces for gifting to family and friends. We hope you enjoy! See More Of Chaz Bojórquez’s work on Instagram, @ Chaz_Bojorquez, Facebook, @ChazBojorquez or in person at the Beyond The Streets international graffiti show, that’s happening now, in downtown LA, through July 6th.

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Will you describe where you are right now? There’s a soft rain in the hills of Los Angeles and I’m sitting in front of my computer. A wall of glass gives me an unobstructed 190-degree view of mountains and city, inspiring. Sounds beautiful. How would you introduce yourself to our readers, a little synopsis if you would? My graffiti is unique, with a West Coast life-style aesthetic. My style and culture comes from a Mexican-American existence living in Los Angeles. My culture is the bases of my graffiti and comes from a history of L.A. street writing since the 1940’s. They would write their names on the wall like today but using a paintbrush or soft tar and a stick. I was inspired to write when I first saw “Cholo” gang-style graffiti in my neighborhood in the 1950’s. The New York style of tagging was about themselves, a “me” style, but our style was writing a roll call to include everyone. It was about “Us” and we wrote it in black and all capital letters. My first tag was in 1969 on the L.A. freeways, making me one of the very first graffiti writers in the world, but when the others stopped early I kept writing and still continue today. So then when someone asks, “What do you do?” how do you answer? It’s been a life process to answer. I first started as a “tagger” by writing my name on walls. In the 1970’s I called myself a “graffiti writer” because I was using a spray can with a stencil and brush to write roll call names on the walls. Everything changed by the 1980’s when I started to paint on canvas. I called myself a “graffiti artist” for a long time. I’m still a graffiti artist and still paint on murals and paintings but I now also design shoes, skate decks and clothing lines for companies. I’m doing a lot of street culture designing and I feel more like a “culture artist” today. Truthfully, it’s all of the above, but I call myself a “painter” first because that’s my job. The scope of your work is so impressive, spanning decades. We already touched on it, but will you elaborate and tell us a little bit about your early beginnings as an artist. At what age did you actually start writing? Do you remember your first tag? The memory of the first time and the feelings you felt? An artist is born. I was drawing at two years old and most serious artist start young; I always knew that I wanted to be an artist. My twin brother and I would spend our summers with our grandparents in Tijuana, Mexico. They lived next to the downtown bullring where I learned to love the bullfights, the music, colors and pageantry. My grandmother would also take us to the movie palaces of Tijuana to see the golden age of movies and if you look at my paintings there’s a lot of drama and theater in my compositions. Most important was seeing the Mexican political parties (PRI and PAN) spraying their names with stencils on the street corners, that left and impression on me to also use a stencil to write my tag, mine was the first stencil in L.A. graffiti history. My uncle was a Zoot-Suiter in the 1940’s and my mother witnessed the L.A. riots in 1943, I heard their stories and experienced myself the injustice of one group of people can impose on another during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s. When I started to write in 1969 it was because of anger and trying to find my own Mexican-American

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identity as a young man. I was living alone in a small basement apartment and was so broke I would split a can of mackerel with the cat and myself. The price of a spray can was unaffordable so I would mix red ink and water in a plastic spray bottle; it had a hand pump and made the worst drippy letters. I saved up my money to buy my first can of Krylon paint and was terribly disappointed by the lack of pressure and thin pigment; it would drip down my arm. Since then, I’ve avoided the cans and went to the “chisel brush” that could give me a thick and thin line like a calligraphy marker. Even though spray paint has improved I still use the brush and marker over the can. You are legend. The Godfather of modern Los Angeles graffiti, will you tell us about your legacy? And what you think that might be? A legend is nothing but hard work everyday for 50 years! You have to want a life with art and you have to live it everyday to be an artist. I challenge myself with new projects that come my way, like tattoo, fashion and logo designs. I meet incredible new, young artist who are also doing calligraphy graffiti, it just makes me want to make mine better and continue to always improve. I don’t feel like a legend because the race isn’t over and legends are about the past. I should have said living legend. How has your style changed and your attitude changed over the years? When I started there was only one style, “Cholo gang style.” It had been on the streets since the early 1940’s and that’s the style I grew up with. My first tags had a New York mentality to write only my name and street but throughout the decades I gradually started to include the names of my friends, then my community and city. Now, it’s about the “reasons” why we write that are my topics.

In 1969, there were no other graffiti “artist” like myself. No crews, magazines, fashion, Hip-Hop, nothing… only gangs. I didn’t want to be a gang member like some of my cousins in prison… also, Cholo’s don’t paint! Going to the streets late at night was my own idea and personal journey; I loved it and enjoyed the solitude by the riverbed. The freeway was next to the river so the many headlights would flicker on and off, making the walls like an old black and white movie projector. The river had so many broken bottles in it that the shards would glisten like a diamond highway in the moonlight. I had an endless gallery to write on, only I did it alone. Once a tagger always a tagger. I still carry a marker with me for a quick tag or to sign a black book. I’m still tagging, I’m tagging now, I’m writing my name on the inside of your skull, by you reading this story. The difference of writing a tag to impress my friends or designing a women’s handbag for Fendi has its own challenges of elegance and street cred. Culture has become “High Art” and graffiti is finally accepted and exhibited in museums. Today an artist must have a big following in the social media, because you are now not only competing in your streets but with every Street Artist in the world. In art school you studied calligraphy, Asian brush techniques, typography... will you tell us about philosophy behind the aesthetics of your visual language and tag? In middle and high school, plus one year in college, I studied architecture but didn’t like the work atmosphere so I changed to Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles plus a summer at the Universidad de Artes Plasticas in Guadalajara, Mexico. At Chouinard I studied fine art figure painting and my major was ceramics. In Mexico, I built a few kilns and dug my own clay from the ground. My interest with graffiti and art school started about the same time. During the day I would draw naked people and at night I would paint my graffiti, never to tell anyone about the other. Once leaving school creating ceramics was too expensive and required a lot of equipment, it was so much easier just to draw and paint in my little apartment. I developed my own style using the “muscle” of Cholo and the “sprit” used in writing Asian calligraphy. At nineteen I took a Chinese calligraphy class with Master Yun Chung Chiang who studied under Pu Ju, brother to the last Emperor of China. He taught me to take the line serious and always use your entire body when pulling a line, standing or sitting. I taught myself how to read Cholo and all of its symbols. In turn, it taught me the grammar and how I could use it to write my own message, Cholo became the teacher. I learned how to write the feeling of “pride” of my community in my tags, by writing the letters straight and perfect every time. For ten years I did graffiti in the streets and painted landscapes on canvas and didn’t combine the two because I felt that graffiti was graffiti, not art worthy. I changed my mind returning from a round the world trip and painted my very first “Graffiti Painting” on canvas in 1980 but it took another ten years to convince the galleries and museums to exhibit my work. In the mid-80’s I visited New York and met Dondi White and Keith Haring but no one thought my letters meant much and were confused by the gang writing, so I came home and painted harder. This rejection made me self-reliant and self-validating; I didn’t need anyone’s permission or space to paint because I believed in myself and my own graffiti.

previous spread: WORD POLLUTION, 1990. opposite page - top: SENIOR SUERTE TAG WITH â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;VETERANO / VETERANA ROLLCALLS, 1975. inset: BLACK MAMBA, 2012. this page: L.A. MADUSA, 1997. ISSUE 130

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Will you give some words of wisdom about life, the environment, politics, creativity, etc.? My philosophy about my art is when I finish a painting that sometimes took me a year to finish, its value is zero. My artwork is not worth anything when it leaves my studio. I exhibit the artwork and when someone writes a review or wants to buy it, that’s when it has value. The true value of art is when someone “believes” in the artwork, that’s when it becomes valuable and worthy. The more I exhibit that piece it starts to have a life of its own by being photographed in newspapers and magazines, sometimes the artwork goes on vacation to foreign countries and returns with more reviews, the value goes up more. The graffiti writers still compete with each other but now it’s on other gallery walls and the borders of my neighborhood have now expanded to countries. What artists are you really into right now? And do you collect art? Some of my favorite artist are Frank Lloyd Wright, M.C. Escher and Vermeer, not very contemporary but all spiritual to me and they influenced my work. I have a small collection of artwork by Chicanos and a black velvet painting by Edgar Leeteg. When I travel around the world, I’ve collected wooden spears and arrows from the South Pacific Islands and Papua New Guinea and ancient swords from Nepal, all primitive beautiful artworks. Maybe a depressing question, but when it’s all said and done how would you like to be remembered? All of my photographs, lectures, drawings and paintings will out live me because they are now in permanent collections at LACMA, MOCA, Laguna and three museums of the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., plus Universities and others. My legacy is about the artwork, not about me. The power or magic of art is that its vision is eternal. We still awe at Greek Bronzes and the Renaissance Masters and many names are lost but the art endures. Art is the reason we appreciate life and I would like my artwork to be remembered because you believed in it, like I did.

Tell us about your plein air paintings, ceramics, and architecture plans? Graffiti art is what I’m known for but I have many varied interest. The world and its people are the most fascinating to me. I always wanted to travel like Marco Polo and Ferdinand Magellan, circumnavigating the globe by reading their books as a child. The artwork of the ancient Sumerians (whom wrote the first words) and Egyptians building the first temple pyramids just added more interest when I found out they also wrote graffiti. I own a ring that has a coin with the face of Alexander the Great from 327 B.C. because I love his story of conquest and the art of Greek culture. I taught myself the names of all of the birds in my neighborhood and even taxidermied an English sparrow when I was 13 because I saw a book that Michelangelo did the same to human bodies. I wanted to know everything about nature, even the names of clouds and their altitudes because when I looked at them I could predict the weather and know the distance and perspective of miles around me. I still have these interests and they are built into my painting – I use scale of mountains, turbulence of air, minerals from ceramics and colors from birds and lipsticks. When I travel, I always take a small pad and a couple of pencils to draw my surroundings. I started to paint plein-air landscapes very young and still do today but I have never exhibited them, personal drawings of beautiful moments. At home I have some bird paintings and drawings of ocean scenes on the walls that brings joy to my wife and I.

opposite page: LOS AVENUES, 1987. this page - top left: CHAZ DECKS, 2010. middle left: CHAZ@MOCA BY G.BOJORQUEZ, 2011. top right: BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG, 2015. bottom left: I DESIRE DRUNKEN PARTIES, LOUD MUSIC, WILD DANCE, 2017. bottom right: SANTORINI ISLAND, GREECE, 1980.

In art school a teacher told me that drawing was the most important fundamental foundation to be an artist. He said, “If you can draw it, you can build it” by being able to draw isometric perspective drawings of buildings and interiors. It helped me become a building contractor and remodel my five homes. Being an artist is more than just painting, you have to “be that person and live the life of an artist.” Graffiti taught me that “you don’t need permission,” all it took was to believe in yourself. Very last question, any last words of wisdom for our readers, shout-outs, declaration of love or hate? Nope. Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, you are extremely inspiring and influential. ISSUE 130

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PREVIOUS SPREAD: Raimana,Teahupoo. THIS SPREAD - TOP LEFT: Kai Lenny, Jaws. TOP RIGHT: Bryce Saeman, Central Coast. MIDDLE LEFT: Cloudbreak, Fiji. BOTTOM LEFT: Tom Dosland, Jaws. RIGHT: Pato,Teahupoo.

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Tell us about where you were born and raised. I was born and raised in Brazil. And where are you living at the moment? I live in Los Angeles, California. How did you get into photography? In college I majored in Architecture. We had to take a photography class and that’s where I was first introduced to a professional camera. You seem to have a healthy fascination for big waves, how did this come about? Big waves have always attracted me, ever since I was a little boy. I remember seeing Mavericks for the first time in a magazine and it blew my mind; that image has been embedded in my head ever since. I am fascinated with people who really know how to push the limits for the unknown. What’s the most memorable session you’ve ever shot and why? I have been following big swells for over a decade and I was present for most of the epic ones like the Mavericks contest 2010, Fiji Thunderclouds 2012, Teahupoo Code Red swell in August 2011, Jaws evening in October 2012. For sure these are the ones the big surf community will never forget.

Who or what inspires you on a daily basis? All of the athletes that invest their entire life to the sport of big wave surfing, it’s such great demand and dedication. What’s the equipment you’re shooting with on a daily basis? I have been using Canon for long time and now I use Canon 1DX and a 5DSR with lenses that goes from 14mm to 600mm and a water housing custom that I handmade. Does Instagram play a huge role in how you promote yourself as a photographer and your work? Instagram has a huge influence in promotion and showcasing your work. It’s a great tool to spread your shots but at the same time it has changed everything too. Everyone thinks they are a photographer these days. I still think there are a lot of adjustments that need to be made in the photography industry to keep us rolling. Any big trips planned? I just got back from a four day climbing trip at El Capitan in Yosemite. We climbed to the top and it was the adventure of my dreams. At the end of the day what is the one thing you’re trying to convey through your photographs? In big wave surfing I definitely want to covey the power of mother nature vs man power.

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WORDS & PHOTOS // BOB PLUMB Two nights before Holy Bowly was set to kickoff I checked the weather. The forecast had not been promising all week. It had been predicting scattered showers throughout the week and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be honest, the thought of standing in rain, in May, to shoot snowboarding was not real appealing. Call me crazy. Luckily there was a break. All of Monday looked good and part of Tuesday. I loaded up my truck and headed out the next day.

this page: (left) Forrest Shearer cradle carve (right) Is Max Warbington LTCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best in the air?!? opposite page: Nils Mindnich fontside triple cork ;)

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Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cool to watch all the different people find their own lines, creative gaps are everywhere.

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I was meeting up with the Lick the Cat crew

and bunch of others. We planned on sleeping in the parking lot for a few nights and getting after it in the day. We ended up sleeping next to the Absinthe guys, which was a bonus, along with Forrest and Dirksen. This time of year it’s always fun to see everyone together. It’s almost a farewell to summer and half the people you’ve spent all winter with, you won’t see till there is snow again. The course was insane. It was massive. There were so many small pockets of trannies and lots of hidden gems everywhere. It’s cool to watch all the different people find their own lines, creative gaps are everywhere. It felt like it took five minutes to go through it all. Big shout-out to Krush, the diggers and all of the park crew for making it happen. It was cool to see such a dynamic course in front of arguably the most iconic mountain in snowboarding. Till next winter!

opposite page: (top) 3 guys 1 jump, Max Warbington (bottom l - r) Blake Paul does it for the gram, Josh Dirksen parking lot lizard, Forrest Shearer carving god this page: (l - r) A section of Holy Bowly, Hey Sage Kotsenburg is that a boot grab?!?, Nils Mindnich and Jerm getting a shaky follow cam, Josh Dirksen x Mt Hood, Griffin Siebert and a method, Zak Hale’s new Tinder profile pic, Jared Elston is Big Air Jare on the gram, obviously self-proclaimed

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WWW.SUPERBRANDED.COM

@SUPER_BRAND

EVENTS // ISSUE NO. 130

DEATH LIGHT:

On an April 27th in Huntington Beach, an art show took place that brought together art and skateboarding. Death Light was presented by Hurley and the venue was at the Hurley store in Huntington Beach. It brought together five artists to display their works, but who are these artists? They are some of the greats of skateboarding. Steve Alba, C.R. Stecyk III, Lance Mountain, Steve Olson and Pat Ngoho were all invited to put their works on display, a collage of different styles and techniques, that in ways, were a clear representation of their skateboarding, lifestyle and personality. The show encompassed why and how both art and skateboarding work hand in hand, keeping the idea of self-expression and growth prominent in life through creative concepts and form. The environment was calm and collected, allowing for all who attended to talk casually and connect. Whether skateboarding was part of your life or not, the show was for the people to enjoy. The concept behind the Death Light Art Show was to show a bridge between the freedom of form expression and movement of skateboarding and art. It invited these five artists of skateboarding and took their ideas, thoughts and creativity to a different medium. Through the use of mixed media, it was mind blowing to see. Hurley did an amazing job with the construction of a gallery wall towards the rear of the space, which drew people in and create an interest and curiosity. With the feeling of a local shop doing a parking lot party, the environment was casual and exciting. The air was filled with chatter and the visuals kept coming as a bright wall of screen-printed posters introduced the art driven space. As the sun began to set, a new stimulation to our sensors was introduced as Powerflex 5 took the stage. Full of energy, the band, in which Steve Alba is part of, united everyone in the room onto the same rhythm. It was a noteworthy sight to see as many areas in a show allowed for people to become interactive with one another. Connecting with one another and sharing a mutual experience, enjoying the skateboarding culture and conceptual idea of free expression solidifies how challenges are overcome in a countless amount of ways, but the process and way that they are overcome is what creates an individual. The words Death Light, an ode to pool skating, was the title given to this show. It captured the struggles of seeing an obstacle and facing the fears of trial and error in order to obtain triumph. Finding the right line that puts you in the right spot with the speed needed to go up and over the pool, granting a feeling of bliss due to the falls it took to get there. Needless to say, Death Light was a success. It brought a new light to how style and creativity flow within the veins of skateboarding. It was an opportunity for people around to experience an inside look of the minds of some of the prodigies of the skateboarding world. It provided a great environment and representation of the connections between art and skateboarding while allowing people to talk, connect and learn from those around. It was able to show how skateboarding is always evolving and growing while holding the same concepts in mind. Whether skateboarding is a part of your life or not, the show was something that shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have been missed. WORDS // BRENDEN POBLETE

PHOTOS // BRENDEN POBLETE left to right: ed & deanna templeton steve olson art death light salba salbaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s art yvette loveless, steve olson & jp olson the overview clint cravens & charm nicole lance mountain

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VERDURE AND PINK:

One of the last things you might expect to find, driving through the small desert town of Yucca Valley, just before you reach Pioneertown to the left or Joshua Tree on the right, would be a color-infused collection of works by Costa Mesa-based artist Alrik Yuill. Yet, from May 12 through 28, there it was—an exposition of sculpture, paintings, drawing and mixed media by the surfer/shaper who grew up frequenting the Mojave (his grandmother flew Cessnas over it). Orange County native Michael Townsend and his wife, Lara Wilson, lived in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa for five years before they opened their flexibleuse art space, Compound Yucca Valley, in April. Yuill is a longtime collaborator and friend. The pair ripped carpet and asbestos out of a former office building, painted the walls and floors white, and replaced nonnative bushes with drought-loving cacti. Now the desert light descends on a statuesque figure, emerging from plaster in front of an empty frame. At just the right time of day, its warped shadow fills the frame’s negative space while afternoon light filters through the window in sharp, warm angles. On a nearby shelf, bronze figurines called “Bathers of the Sun” rest in blissful, sometimes yogic, sometimes erotic poses. A few wear signature sprays of color across their miniature torsos: bright pink, yellow and cerulean. This suggests a less-serious tone, a lighthearted finishing touch. If it was an afterthought once, it has become a central idea, a focal decision. “In February, my girlfriend started bringing flowers by the studio,” Yuill said, describing a mixed-media series on paper of flowers drawn in vases, a main component of the show. The flowers feel at once common and, in this place known more for its thorns than for its blooms, exotic. The works appear frequently, intermittently placed among Yuill’s larger, more abstract paintings. Behind each bouquet, a line references both the horizontal of the countertop and divides oppositional, yet connected words: “Pink/Green.” “Meet/ Meat.” “Something/Nothing.” Yuill continues: “It’s as if these works have been a portrait of her, and then they became an extension of shared feeling as well as a personal journal or visual poem.” “Desert Exposition: Verdure and Pink,” lasted from May 12 through 28, 2018, at Compound Yucca Valley, 55379 29 Palms Highway, Yucca Valley, CA, 92284. For more info visit www.compoundyv.com or on Instagram, @compoundyv.

PHOTOS // MIKE TOWNSEND left to right: alrik’s work madison isbell and grant puckett matt and casey costa, michael townsend, lara wilson, john sarkiss, alrik yuill, ashlyn pai dancers from the assembly, megan guise and jobel medina alrik yuill with local artist didier chevalier

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EVENTS // ISSUE NO. 130

KISSED BY GOD:

There was no easy way of making this film. In fact, a movie like this was unprecedented in the action sports industry. To take the star that Andy was and chronicle his rise to greatness and then his crash and burn to sickness, suffering and ultimately death, was thought to be unachievable by many. There is also no easy way of viewing this film either. I stood in the back of the world premiere in Westwood with my eyes locked to the screen for the entire two hours of its duration. I laughed at the stories of Andy’s childhood, I smiled in astonishment at how young he was when he and Bruce were sent to Oahu on their own and I also cried like a little baby in the lead up to a hero of mine and three time world champ with a pregnant wife, who died alone in a Dallas hotel room. This story, Andy’s story, resonates in today’s world more than ever. We often hear of kids going to rehab, but never the circumstances, because we don’t want shame or embarrassment to follow. A close friend might need help, but they don’t want to admit to others their issues. Embarrassment and shame no longer matter if that person is no longer alive. Then, all you’ll have is memories and regret. In the end, it turned out the right people came together to make this film. Enich Harris and the whole Teton Gravity team took on a monumental task, and in doing so they absolutely nailed it. The other two people who were so necessary in the films authentic and raw nature were Lyndie and Bruce Irons. Neither held back anything, which translated to all of the other interviewees in the movie doing the same. The film ends with Bruce, Lyndie and others thanking Andy Irons. I think we should all thank Andy for this film and its potential. This film has the potential to change the entire action sports industry, and a lot of people’s lives. If ‘Andy Irons: Kissed by God’ saves even one life, it has done its job. I, for one, think it will save many.

WORDS // SPENCER PIRDY PHOTOS // JESSICA DALENE left to right: andy irons christian & pops hosoi kissed by god lyndie irons mick fanning johhny knoxville & naomi nelson the premiere josh taft, todd jones, enich harris, steve jones, alexande carter

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SHARING THE GOOD GRIND Enjoy at S ideca r Doughnuts , C rew Coffee a nd Cremerie, No o k Coffee Ba r, Coffee Dos e, Neig hb or ly Coffee.

EVENTS // ISSUE NO. 130

MALIBU BOARDRIDERS:

On May 1st Boardriders Inc. hit a bit of milestone with the opening of it’s first concept store right in the heart of Malibu. The group has long embodied the roots of surf, snow and skate. Now, just steps away from Malibu point, a jaunt from the Venice skate bowl and a drive from the mountains, they’ve positioned themselves perfectly with this new retail experience. On the evening of the opening the who’s who of the industry were there. Everyone from the entire Quiksilver team, to local residents like Danny Fuller and top dogs Dave Tanner and Bob McKnight. The store itself is a fresh representation of the Boardriders Inc.’s own brands, (Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy RVCA, DC, Shoes, Element Von Zipper and Xcel) as well as variety of accessories and premium boards. The Malibu store also has a Cafe, barber shop, lounge area and art gallery. This shop is definitely a one-of-a-kind experience and we suggest you check it out next time you’re in the Malibu area.

left to right: olamana eleogram, monyca eleogram & luke davis checking out the new boardriders lisa anderson, bruna schmitz, monyca eleogram & friends dylan goodale, danny fuller, luke davis & bobby hundreds freddy p breaking it down reef, leo, kanoa dj osamu nishimura and super model erin wasson freddy p, leo fioravanti, zeke lau, friend, griffin colapinto, bruna & monyca caroline marks, monyca, lisa , nruna , steph freddy p on the mic

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MUSIC INTERVIEW:

THE BUTTERTONES What is the story with The Buttertones and how did you come to be? Three of us met at a music school and we became drinking buddies, soon after that we started The Buttertones. Dakota and London soon joined the group and we’ve been making music ever since. Have you considered scoring a film? If we ever get the opportunity to score a film it would be a dream come true. Which film soundtracks are your favorite? Once Upon a Time in the West, Repo Man and Rushmore.

You’ve been touring almost nonstop yet you still manage to consistently put out records. Does much of your songwriting occur on the road or do you manage to find time when you’re home? We usually don’t do much writing on the road. Sometimes we’ll jam out some new riffs during sound check, but most of the writing takes place when we’re home. Last year we recorded in the summer and winter so we didn’t feel rushed.

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INTERVIEW & PHOTOS // DAVID EVANKO

Any good tour stories? We were going into Canada via Boston and we were stopped at the border as usual. We were expecting trouble because of a previous encounter there, but this time around they somehow got a hold of London’s misdemeanor from when he was 18. You wouldn’t think that would prevent entry into a country, but I guess with Canada that’s not the case. He ended up getting in but not without a complete shakedown. He’s banned until 2021 though, so we have to figure that one out still.

How does Midnight in a Moonless Dream differ from previous releases? This album has definitely gone in a darker direction. A lot of experimentation was involved discovering new sounds and melodies. There’s a lot of influence from Nick Cave, The Cramps, Echo & the Bunnymen and Johnny Marr-style guitars.

What do The Buttertones have in store for us this summer? We actually have most of the summer off. We’ll be touring pretty heavy this fall, so we’re looking for to having a little break. There will be some new music videos coming out and there is talk of us going back to the studio to work on a few projects. The Buttertones new album Midnight In a Moonless Dream is available now via Innovative Leisure Records.

MUSIC REVIEWS:

LIVE SHOW // ALBUMS // ISSUE NO. 130

C57 BL/6

LIVE REVIEW // WORDS & PHOTOS // DAVID EVANKO

THE ECHO - LOS ANGELES,CA // MAY 7TH 2018 I head to The Echo on May 7th for a free Monday night residency show. Upon entering the doorway I hear a voice similar to a sledgehammer beating the side of an old dodge. A glitchy drum machine maxes out the PA. One guitar and one bass, maybe they’re chainsaws. C57 BL/6 is a band that is as intense as their name.

REVIEWS BY MAX RITTER Guru / Guru’s Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 / Chrysalis At the time (1993), Guru’s first solo endeavor was ahead of its time and an experiment in hip-hop. Instead of simply sampling jazz, he involved notable jazz artists and vocalist to play live improvisations over previously sampled beats. Guru was a founding member of the group Gang Starr and died in 2010. Sun Ra / The Cymbals / Symbols Sessions Modern Harmonic At times this album makes me feel like I am trapped in an asylum of elevators and at other times it’s quite beautiful. That’s fittingly Sun Ra – an experimental and eccentric master of jazz and improvisation. Toto / Toto IV / Columbia An early eighties soft rock juggernaut, Toto IV was just an insane album. I feel like a key change during a song’s verse (“Rosanna”) is kind of rare, right? Another really interesting note about Toto is that touring for the album after its release was delayed, as the band (composed of mainly session musicians), was busy working on Michael Jackson’s Thriller. The song “Human Nature” on Thriller was actually written by Toto keyboardist Steve Porcaro. The guitar work on the album Beat It, often credited to Eddie Van Halen (who is only responsible for unfinished soloing), is the work of Toto’s Steve Lukather. Zhu & Tame Impala / My Life / Mind Of A Genius The Tame Impala collaboration peaked my interest. Great synth sounds and the unmistakable voice of Kevin Parker. Maybe this will spur an EDM phase for me. EDM makes me think of A Night At The Roxbury. Great film. Anyway, Tame Impala also recently released a B-sides record to their latest album Currents, that is worthy. Till next time.

REVIEWS BY ROB MOLT Courtney Barnett / Tell Me How You Really Feel / Mom + Pop Music In 2014 I basically stalked Courtney Barnett. After hearing her excellent double EP debut, I saw her three times in one month, and she actually noticed. Nursing a level seven hangover at day two of Coachella, a local radio friend invited me to one of those cool golf course private shows. Courtney was incredible, doing a solo set of her witty lyric, electric guitar songs, and she couldn’t have been nicer. The next day we saw her festival set from the front row. I waved, and she waved back. A couple months later she did an in-store at our local record shop. I went, of course. After her set she walked up to me in the small shop, took a swig from her flask and asked in her Australian accent, “Do I know you?” Beach House / 7 / Sub Pop The Baltimore dream-pop masters, Beach House continues to elevate their sound on 7. Victoria Legrand’s astounding voice and Alex Scally’s full-on soundscape production is now met with Panda Bear, MGMT producer and former Spaceman 3 member Peter Kember to make a lush, atmospheric album. From loud and layered to soft and light at times, 7’s songs take the listener through a world you want to get lost in. But in this world, grab the headphones and sit by an open window for this listening experience. Parquet Courts / Wide Awake! / Rough Trade It must be a tricky thing, being the standard “four white dudes in a guitar band trying to expand their sound.” So many times your favorite group ages a little and leaves the magic that got them there behind. They traded in ripped tees for collared shirts, artsy band photos and introspective interviews. That sucks. But not Parquet Courts, the heady Brooklyn rock band wouldn’t do that to us. They were already wearing collared shirts and sweaters anyway. They did take a chance and brought in producer, Danger Mouse to make a different sounding album, but it’s still politically charged and full of punch. So early fans fear not. A$AP Rocky / Testing / RCA “Grandma was a Catholic, and mama was a Christian (woo) My pop returned to Muslim when he spent some time in prison (no cappin’) No Jehovah Witnesses where I’m from, kinda different (woo) They don’t leave no witnesses so folks just mind they business (woo) These days I just practice all the good from all religion So plead the Fifth Amendment or you’re gonna be a victim.” Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky’s third and most experimental studio album, “Testing,” features a heavy guest list with likes of: Moby, FKA Twigs, and Frank Ocean, and the banger doesn’t disappoint.

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GROMS:

BLISSS MAGAZINE // ISSUE NO. 130

STRIDeR

SNeAD @Strider_Snead

Favorite Surfer: John John Florence

Age: 17 Hometown: Newport Beach, CA Sponsors: Dont Care, Cobian Footwear, Chronic Tacos

Photo: Kenny Norwood

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eri k nelsen surf camps summer 2018 newport beach

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GROMS:

BLISSS MAGAZINE // ISSUE NO. 130

LUKe

KaHLER Age: 10 Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA Sponsors: Element, Etnies, Neff, S1 helmets, Independent, Power Flex wheels. Labreau surfboards

Favorite Skaters: Pedro Barros, Lance Mountain, Christian Hosoi, Tom Schaar Photo: Ortiz

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THIS SUMMER. WORRY LESS. SURF MORE. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nice knowing your leash looks like a Sea Snake - Sharks tend to avoid them. XMSURFMORE.COM/SUMMER18 | MADE IN USA

BL!SSS Magazine | June 2018 | #130

Articles inside

The Art of Chaz Bojorquez

Founders' Cup

Matt Story